


It Belongs in a Museum

by Nikoraptor18



Category: Burn Notice: The Fall of Sam Axe (2011), Indiana Jones Series
Genre: Breathplay, Crossover, F/M, Fingering, NSFW, Praise Kink, Restraints, Rough Sex, Vaginal Sex, blowjob, thigh riding
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-08
Updated: 2021-02-15
Packaged: 2021-03-13 10:40:23
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 14,621
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29277090
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nikoraptor18/pseuds/Nikoraptor18
Summary: You are a graduate student studying archaeology; you wind up doing your internship with Professor Indiana Jones. Whilst in Colombia you meet a handsome man for a one night stand... You thought that was the end of it.... Until the professor had to hire bodyguards to protect you and your cohort and who led them? Your one night stand: Comandante Veracruz.Note: Italics is Spanish.
Relationships: Veracruz (Burn Notice)/Reader
Kudos: 3





	1. Chapter 1

It was the spring semester before her last year began and she was desperately trying to find an internship for her last year. As an archaeology student, it shouldn’t have been too difficult. Alas, almost every teacher she spoke with had every slot filled.

She had only a couple of options left, and she hoped that Professor Indiana Jones would save her from having to go with Dr. Bergdale, who literally bored her to tears.

She knew that he would be in his office at this time, so she made her way to him, between classes.

She lightly knocked on his open door, poking her head inside, with a sheepish smile. Professor Jones looked up and waved her inside with a smile, and a, “Come in.”

She stepped inside and politely greeted, “Hello Professor Jones, I don’t know if you remember me, but I was your TA last year, (Y/N)?”

“Yes. I remember you, the students called you Vixen because of a tattoo you have on your wrist, yes?” Professor Jones recalled.

She nodded her head and then asked her question, in a hopeful tone, “I was wondering if you had an opening with your interns for next year’s dig? As nice as Dr. Bergman is, I really don’t want to spend my last year in Greenland and freezing.”

“I do have one more opening on my group, yes. Do you have your application on you?” He asked.

She hurriedly reached into her bag and pulled it out, pens scattering everywhere, but she didn’t care currently. She was far too excited.

He signed it and stamped it. She signed her name as well, binding the agreement.

“Take that to the main office and be prepared to have 3-week crash course in July, cause in August we will be heading out to Colombia,” He reminded her shaking his head at her excitement.

“ThankyouThankyouThankyou!” She gushed as she picked up her pens really quick, and ran out to the main office, to turn it in.

Later that day, she met up with her friends for dinner, and told them the news.

“Damn. I would love to have Professor Jones as my supervisor. However, I cannot speak a lick of Spanish and would just embarrass myself while there,” Your best friend, Scarlett, lightly complained.

“Lucky bitch. A year with both the hottest professor, and get to be in Colombia surrounded by beautiful men and women? I hate you,” Came Laura’s response in jest.

“You act like I’m going to have so much spare time, to flirt and date with anyone. You forget, I was his TA and took 4 of his classes. He’s not an easy teacher. I’ll be working my butt off the entire year. I’ll be too exhausted to go out,” she explained shaking her head at her friends.

“Ooh. You right. I almost failed his class,” Laura remembered wide-eyed.

Scarlett laughed, “You say that about every class. What even is your GPA right now?”

Laura shrugged and said, “Oh would you look at the time. Gotta go.”

She left some cash to cover her meal and rushed out.

“So, what does your summer look like, Scar?” She asked munching on some French fries.

“Two months of learning Arabic, and its culture, both current and ancient, then in August we will be landing in Israel, before making our way to the dig site in Jordan, followed by Syria, and I believe Lebanon. What about you Vixen?” Scarlett recited, looking up vaguely, as she tried to remember what all she would be doing.

“According to Prof Jones, we will be doing a 3-week crash course. According to the syllabus, we will be learning about Aztec, Mayan, and Incan cultures before exploring the jungles of Colombia, Peru, Venezuela, and Brazil. Allegedly we might also have to hire a group of soldiers to help protect us from a combination of sicarios and graverobbers. Which will be so much fun, yay!” Vixen ended with a small sad cheer while shaking her head.

“So, you’ll be dodging bullets, I’ll be dodging bombs. Sounds like so much fun for the both of us. Does your internship go past graduation as well?” Scarlett asked taking a drink of her rum and coke.

Vixen nodded her head, “Yep. Ya know what? Alex! Can we get a round of shots? Please and thank you!”

Their waiter, Alex, brought over a round of Starburst Shots, and told us to enjoy.

“Cheers to us, and to a very long year ahead of us. May we discover something amazing, not die of a heat stroke, and graduate with honors, like we agreed, freshman year,” Vixen toasted raising her glass.

“Ah. Yes. May we also avoid graverobbers, get our names in journals and newspapers, and mayhaps find love along the way,” Scarlett added, clinking her glass with Vixen’s.

They both tapped it to the table, before throwing it back. They ate the starburst garnish soon after, with smiles.

As they both left dinner that night, they swore to each other that they would do their best to stay in contact however they could. They both realized that this next year was going to be hectic and with them being in different time zones, phone calls were going to be difficult. If only they realized just how difficult it was going to be.

**3 Months Later**

After a grueling 3 weeks of studying, papers, pop quizzes in both Spanish and in ancient languages, and a long plane ride from the states to South America, Vixen and her cohort had arrived in Colombia. Professor Jones had set them up in a hotel for a couple nights. He told them to rest up for tomorrow they would be gathering their remainder of their supplies. The trip to the dig site will take a few days and will involve a lot of driving and hiking.

Vixen had decided that she was going to go and get a nightcap at a local bar. Stepping in, the crowd was pretty sparse, which was to be expected given the time nearing 2am. She made her way to the bar and order a simple Jack and Coke.

A few minutes later found she was quietly sipping on her drink, looking at her phone. Scarlett was on her way to Israel, and they had a layover in England. They were goofily texting each other what they were drinking and were “toasting” each other over the phone.

As they signed off, she felt someone sit directly next to her.

She ignored it until she heard the person say, “ _Hey, sexy. May I buy you another drink?”_

She turned to him and politely said, “ _No. Thank you though.”_

She gave him a smile and then turned back to her drink.

“ _Oh c’mon, hotness. Don’t be like that. Let me buy you another drink. Or we could go somewhere more private? You look a bit stressed, I could… relieve that?”_ He persisted, even going as far as putting his hand on hers.

She turned to tell him to back off when another hand entered her line of vision. This hand was grasping the other’s guys wrist tightly.

“ _The lady said no. Back off, or I’ll break your wrist,”_ A warm rumbly voice threatened.

She could see that he meant it, when his hand suddenly tensed, as his grip tightened around the offending wrist.

The guy took an inhale of breath and grunted out an ‘okay’ before pulling away and disappearing.

She slowly turned, her eyes following the length of her rescuer’s arm, before settling on a slightly scruffy and handsome face. The man before her was movie star handsome, but his attire said military. He was dressed in black cargo pants, complete with a thigh holster that held a gun. His shirt was a black long sleeve, that he had rolled up.

She smiled at him softly, and thanked him, “ _Thank you. You didn’t have to do that, but I appreciate it nonetheless.”_

“ _It was no trouble. Besides a woman shouldn’t have to defend off creeps on her own. May I join you Miss…?”_ He asked with a small smirk.

She told him her name but then stated, “ _Most people call me Vixen though.”_

He looked at her curiously as he took the seat next to her.

She quietly showed him the tattoo she had on her wrist; it was a minimalist design of a fox.

“ _It was a best friend tattoo idea. She has one of my favorite animal on her wrist, foxes are hers. We got it during our first year of college. Our promise to each other to stay in contact no matter where we are,”_ She explained sheepishly. “ _Neither of us realized that this would wind up becoming my nickname when I was a teaching assistant.”_

“ _College, eh? You don’t look like you’re in college?”_ He questioned lightly.

“ _Master’s degree. Final year. Here to discover new wonders and preserve and protect ancient cultures,”_ She informed him with a smile.

“ _Sounds… exciting,”_ He slowly replied with a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.

“ _Let me guess. You are one of those people who believe that ancient cultures should be left where they found, and no one should touch them?”_ She guessed with a small frown.

“ _Not quite. I just don’t think that Americans should be the one to discover such marvelous items, that express and defined our culture. It should be someone who is from this country_ ,” He expounded with a wave of his hand.

She looked at him for a moment, and agreed with a small, “ _Touché_.” 

“ _Though if it’s any consolation we are not taking home anything we find, beyond pictures. The items themselves, will stay in the museums here,”_ She added biting her lip, awkwardly.

“ _Small mercies I guess,”_ He muttered taking a drink of his beer.

‘This is… not how I expected this conversation to be going. I think I should go,’ She thought to herself.

She reached into her pocket and pulled out a $20, to pay for her drink and leave the rest as a tip.

“ _Thanks. Again. For… getting rid of the other guy. Have a nice night,”_ She stammered before turning and walking away.

When she stepped out onto the sidewalk, she let the cool breeze, wash over. She sighed softly, before turning to make her way back to the hotel.

She got about five feet, when she heard a voice call out her name.

She stopped, and slowly turned around to see the handsome stranger, whose name she still didn’t know.

“ _I’m… sorry. Didn’t mean to make you leave. I get a little… protective of my homeland. It was not my intention to make you uncomfortable. May I make it up to you, by walking you back to wherever you are staying?”_ He offered trying to make peace.

“ _Hm. Maybe. If you tell me your name?_ ” She asked coyly.

“ _Veracruz,”_ He answered with a smirk.

She then turned away and began walking. “ _That is a last name sir. I requested a first name_ ,” She called over her shoulder.

He briskly caught up to her, and denied, “ _No. You asked for ‘A Name.’ Not my first specifically. So technically, I answered your question.”_

She thought over what she asked, and realized he was right. She whispered a small “shoot!” and snapped her fingers in defeat.

She shook her head and scrunched up her nose in mock anger, before continuing her stride.

He kept up with her and he kept asking questions about herself, but she ignored them, after realizing he wouldn’t answer any of her questions in return. A few minutes passed and they arrived at her hotel; he followed her onto the elevator, now just trying to get her to react by asking questions that ranged from normal to naughty.

When the elevator doors closed, he moved in close, boxing her in with his arms. He leaned down, brushing his nose against hers, his eyes darkening, as her breath hitched.

They reached her floor, and he slowly backed away, his had grabbing hers, pulling her along. She followed, almost hypnotized by his pitch-black eyes, and the ever-present smirk on his face.

Her door was one of the first ones, so she pulled out her keycard, as he came in close again and began pressing kisses along her neck.

“ _I’m going to fuck you so hard… I’m going to make you scream my name over and over,”_ He promised in whisper.

“ _No screaming. My classmates and professor are on this floor, I’d rather not wake them up,”_ She whispered back. “ _Maybe next time around.”_

“ _Oh? You already expect a second time, eh?”_ Veracruz said cockily, raising an eyebrow as they stepped into her room.

“ _Hm. Maybe. It depends on if you are all show and no go,”_ She challenged him, as she stepped out of her shoes.

“Oh? You going to challenge me little girl? Going to be bratty, I see,” His sudden switch to English, caused her to blink slowly.

“You…. You know English?” She confirmed as it fully processed.

“I do. Now be a good girl and strip,” He commanded, his voice sounding deeper as he spoke, which left her feeling flustered.

‘How did his voice get 10x sexier, and ohmy his accent?!’

She bit her lip, and slowly pulled off her shirt, followed by her pants. Standing before him in just her mismatched bra and underwear, she did a little twirl for him. As she backed away to her bed, she removed them and sat prettily before him once the back of her legs brushed the bed.

He took off his shirt, tossing it aside, showing off his well-defined chest. He stalked forward, with a measured pace, looking her up and down. He at some point during her striptease, had removed his shoes and socks.

“Give me your hands,” He requested holding out one of his.

She gently placed her hands in his, looking up at him curiously, wondering where this was heading.

With his free hand, he undid his belt, and pulled it off. He then proceeded to twist his belt around both of her wrists, binding them together.

“For being a brat, you don’t get to use your hands,” He informed her as he secured her bindings.

“What do I have to do to regain their use, Sir?” She asked softly, biting her lip, playing along.

He took a seat next to her and pulled her onto his lap.

“Well. My little Vixen… you could start by… getting yourself off, using just my thigh. Do that, and then we’ll see if you earned it,” He answered as his thigh wedged itself between her legs.

She began to gently press down against it, the friction of his pants felt rough, but she found she didn’t mind it that much. She began to move back and forth, shivers running down her spine, anytime her clit brushed against the seams of his pocket. Honestly, and she was slightly ashamed to admit it, but he has had her turned on since the second they met. It didn’t take her long to climax, riding out her high for as long as she could.

Her breath was heavy as she tried to calm down back. He brushed her hair behind her ears, his voicing cooing that she was a good girl.

“Oh baby… how horny you must be for it to have taken you just a few minutes to do that. Tell me, if I was to reach down and touch you, would my fingers be completely soaked? Let’s find out shall we,” He teased his hands running up and down her thighs.

His right hand slipped down, and touching her nether region lightly, his thumb feathering across her clit. His fingers dipped inside, swirling around once, before pulling away. He examined them, as they glistened in the light.

“Hmm. I see that’s a yes. I don’t think you’ve earned your hands back just yet, though,” He taunted as he flipped them over, pinning her to the bed. “However, you did do as I asked. Let’s see if we can keep up the good behavior. Don’t cum until I tell you to.”

He made his way down to between your thighs, kissing and biting along the way. He took great pleasure in the whimper she made when he tugged at her nipples with his teeth.

He lifted a leg, and threw it over his shoulder before leaning forward, his tongue lavishing itself across her clit, before dipping into her core. His hand came up, and two of his fingers took over, pumping in and out. His thumb began to flick over her clit firmly, as his fingers began to stretch her out. Her walls fluttering rapidly as his fingers brushed an area that made her vision go white.

She could feel another orgasm rapidly building, and she was trying desperately hard to hold it back. She was trying to distract herself from his thorough ministrations. She kept biting her lip, trying to silence the noises that threatened to break through. He kept her at the edge for several minutes and she wasn’t sure how much longer she could hold back her orgasm.

He finally and roughly whispered, “Cum, pretty girl.”

With his permission, she allowed the pleasure to wash over her. He barely gave her time to recover, when he shoved his pants and boxer off hurriedly. She vaguely noticed that he was well endowed, before feeling his length push past her lips, and seating itself deep inside her.

His thrusts began slowly, allowing her to get used to his size. As her moans began to increase in volume, he made sure both of her legs wrapped around his waist, to make sure he could thoroughly fuck her into oblivion. He had a fast pace for a moment, but then he slowed down, to the point where she could just barely feel him moving.

“I almost forgot…” he murmured against her skin, laughing as she softly whined, wanting him to go back to his previous pace.

He quickly undid her binds, the belt flying off to the side. Her hands immediately went around his neck, one burying itself in his perfectly styled hair. His pace finally picked up speed again, her fingernails digging into his skin, leaving light scratch marks.

He pressed his lips against her, passionately kissing her.

He huffed out with a laugh, “Thought you didn’t want anyone to hear you? You need to control your volume, honey.”

She kissed him back, capturing his bottom lip with her teeth, threatening to break the skin.

She then kissed down to his neck, and began marking up his neck, with her own love bites. There was a spot directly below his ear that caused him to groan in her ear, she noticed. She focused her attention on that spot, determined to hear more of those sounds.

Veracruz, however, was having none of that. He pushed her away from his neck, his hand lightly gripping around her throat. His grip then tightens for a second, and she was strangely more turned on by the action. Her moan in return, encouraged him to alternate his grip, as they both felt their peaks rising.

Soon enough, she was coming again, his following soon after. As her walls were milking him, she felt him filling her up. His hips stuttered as the remains of their high dissipated.

They were both breathing heavily, as they stared into each other’s eyes. He slowly pulled out and made his way into the bathroom. She heard the water running, and a moment later, he stepped back out with a wet washcloth and gently cleaned her up.

“I’m not always a gentleman, but you did so well,” He noted in approving tone.

When he was done, she moved to get under the covers, holding them open, for him to join her.

He raised an eyebrow at her, and she added a small pout and a “Please?”

His smirk returned, and he joined her, lying on his side, his eyes roving over the marks that were already starting to bruise.

“So, think I’ve earned a second time?” Veracruz asked teasingly.

“I don’t know, you gonna give me that first name?” She threw back with her own smirk.

“Oh… hmm. No. You haven’t earned it yet,” He jokingly contemplated before flatly answering.

She sighed loudly, “Then. I guess I don’t know about that second time then. Unless you do something extremely sexy, that would be the only exception.”

“ _Is that so? Guess I’ll have to do my best then,”_ He cooed to her in Spanish.

“ _Yes. You will,”_ She confirmed with a nod, before yawning.

She slowly fell asleep after that. When she woke up, she was alone. The only proof that he had been there were the bruises on her wrists and neck. She did her best to cover them as she got ready for the day. If her cohort had heard anything last night, they didn’t say. Though they were well aware something happened when they saw the bruises peeking through.

The whole day was spent gathering supplies, so she pushed last night out of her mind.

‘I’ll probably will never see him again, but damn. He was good.’

Little did she know…. She’d be seeing him again much sooner than she thought.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> creepy crawlies. canon typical violence

The next day, they woke up before dawn, packing up the jeep before making their way out of the city and into the rainforest. They spent several hours driving, driving well through the night. They stopped only a few times in nearby villages.

They got to a point where the path was too narrow for the jeep to travel. So, they grabbed some of their gear, and began to walk slowly up the trail. They walked for about an hour before coming to a stop to make camp for the rest of the night.

They had a small fire going and were simply using sleeping bags; no tents since they were only going to be there for a few hours. Vixen didn’t bother with unraveling her bag, not wanting to deal with it in the morning, opting to instead use it as a pillow.

As they all rested, sitting down and eating energy bars, drinking water, they made light conversation. She was casually leaning on one hand as she sat, quietly nibbling on her food.

Reina, a beautiful half Puerto Rican woman, stared at her worriedly.

“Hey..uh.. Vix… not to…alarm you or anything… but uhh…. There’s a large spider on your hand,” She slowly informed staring at her hand in horror.

Vixen slowly looked down and lifted her hand up to examine the spider on her hand.

“He’s fine. Just trying to get warm. It can be really cool at night in these regions, so all he wants is warmth,” She lightly stated as she moved her hand back down and let him crawl off and sit near the fire.

“Alright. Get some rest everyone. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow,” Professor Jones ordered as he settled against his pack, tilting his hat over his eyes.

The others got settled in their sleeping bags and Vixen rested against her rolled up bag. Minutes later she could hear multiple snores and light breathing come from everyone else. She stared up at the sky, through the canopy, at the stars.

‘Don’t get to see much of the stars up in Chicago, never seen so many.’ She quietly thought. ‘Wonder if Veracruz likes stargazing? Hm. Doubtful. He’d probably think that to be ‘too girly.’’

Her eyes slowly drifted closed as she her thoughts began to spiral about her handsome one-night stand.

They slept undisturbed until cracks of dawn began to weave through the winding tree limbs around them. As Vixen woke up… she noticed an odd feeling on the side of her face.

“Professor Jones? A little… assistance please?” She croaked out slowly.

“Don’t move. He’s not venomous, but if he bites it won’t be pleasant,” Prof Jones cautioned as he used his rolled-up whip to move the giant spider off her face.

The spider lazily walked off and disappeared into the brush once he was away from her. She then felt the professor move his whip to brush along her back, to knock off his friends.

When she was finally cleared to get up, she brushed herself off and shuddered lightly as she wiped her face.

“Reina. Ezekiel. Time to get up, and start our trek,” Prof Jones called out waking the other two up.

As the 2 of them got up, Vixen stretched and gathered her things. She looked over at Ezekiel who was about to put on his shoes.

“Wait!” She called out, rushing over to him.

She grabbed the shoe out of his hand, and slowly turned it upside, punching the bottom of his sole a few times. After a moment, a large scorpion popped out.

“If you take anything off, be sure to check it before you put it back on. Anything and everything will crawl into it to make a home in it,” She warned as she handed him his shoe again.

“How the hell do you know that?” He asked staring at his shoe in disgust.

“Had 4 of Professor Jones classes and was his TA for a year. Trust me. You’ll pick up on a lot. So, when he talks, listen. You’ll learn so much. It might seem absolutely useless, but it can be lifesaving,” She said with a laugh as she shoveled some dirt to put out the fire that was still simmering from last night.

A few minutes past and everyone was ready to go. They began to follow Prof Jones up a winding path, through deep vegetation. Every so often he would leave a marker to note their path.

About an hour had passed and they came up to a large stone structure. It was shaped to be a doorway, but the door itself was blocked off.

“This is the structure that was seen from a plane?” Reina asked tilting her head looking at it.

“Indeed. From the looks of it, if this was indeed a temple at one point, the forest has slowly consumed it. Shrouding it in its own mystery. It’s possible that a great portion of it buried underground. We will see once we start exploring,” Prof Jones explained walking closer up to the structure.

“So, if we can’t go through it, maybe we should go above it? Reina, ya wanna go with me?” Vixen asked as she moved forward.

She dropped her pack, and grabbed her flashlight, and a handful of other supplies, stuffing them into the pockets of her pants. She stood just below the edge of the structure and took a deep breath.

She then jumped up, to grab ahold of the edge, and pulled herself up slowly. She got up there after a moment of struggle, before turning around to hold her hand down for Reina to take.

Reina after dropping her pack and grabbing similar items, looked around quickly and held up a finger, a silent ‘wait a minute.’ She walked over to the side and grabbed two long, study limbs and handed them to her one by one, before reaching up to join her.

Vixen set the limbs aside and pulled Reina up gently. Once the both of them were up they grabbed a limb and used them to gently tap for any weak spots as they walked along the top. They walked about 20feet before they reached a large gap.

Vixen looked down, moving to squat, squinting trying to see in the dark.

“There’s… something moving down there,” She quietly noted.

“Got a flare on you?” Reina asked as she squatted down with her.

Vixen nodded and reached into one of her pockets, and lit it, before tossing it down. The flare illuminated the room below and showed off the 100s of snakes that were chilling around what appeared to be an altar.

“Go ask Ezekiel if he still has that bottle of vodka on him,” Vixen requested with a grimace.

Reina made her way back to the guys, following her same footsteps back, before rejoining her a minute later.

“Alright oh brilliant one, what we about to do here?” Reina teased as she handed over the bottle.

Vixen laughed, “Not really brilliant… just uhh. A little crazy.”

She opened the bottle up and poured the bottle out both onto the center of the altar, and accidently onto some of the snakes surrounding it.

“Got any matches, hot stuff?” Vixen teased back.

Reina playfully glared at her and pulled out her book of matches from her breast pocket on her shirt. Vixen took the book and grabbed one match, quickly lighting it before dropping it down onto the altar. The vodka lit, and a path of flames formed from underneath the altar down a hallway. Several snakes were burned, but the fire scared the rest of them way, clearing the path.

“Ouch. Harsh,” Reina said with a wince.

“I feel… slightly bad about that, but it was the only way to safely clear them,” Vixen admitted with a frown.

They decided to then drop down from there, grabbing their flashlights as they began to follow the path that was illuminated by the flames.

Reina was examining the walls as they walked, “There’s art drawn on here. Do you think it’s Aztec or Incan?”

“Hard to tell to be honest. If there was writing maybe, but these walls have seen a lot of moisture, so much of the art is worn down,” Vixen replied staring at them as well.

They continued walking in silence for a time, walking down this one hallway.

“Is it me… or does it feel like we are going down at an angle?” Vixen eventually questioned, glancing down at her feet.

Reina nodded in response, “Think we should wait for the guys?”

“Nah. They are probably behind us anyway. Or about to catch up. Prof J doesn’t like snakes so hopefully none of them came back,” Vixen noted with a sigh.

“Doesn’t like snakes?” Reina asked stopping mid-step.

“Phobia. Something about being on a circus train and falling into the car that stored the snakes, when he was a teenager. Hasn’t liked them since,” Vixen answered with a small laugh.

Reina shuddered in response, and said, “I don’t blame him.”

They continued walking, quietly talking about old classes and such, when the pathway opened up. They were suddenly looking at a long winding rope bridge, and darkness all around them. They glanced up and could see an opening, but all that could be seen were trees.

“We are in a ravine. Fun. Great. Not terrifying at all,” Vixen quietly muttered looking around.

“I don’t like this. I think we should wait for the guys now,” Reina requested backing up slightly.

Vixen nodded in response, agreeing with her. It didn’t take long for Prof Jones and Ezekiel to catch up to them.

“Ladies. Have fun?” Ezekiel teased as he joined them.

Professor Jones stepped forward and scrutinized the bridge before them.

“We are going to take this one at time. Once we have a proper base setup, we will make improvements to this bridge, but until then, I don’t want any of you trekking across this alone, got it?” He ordered looking at each one of us.

The three of them nodded in response and watched with trepidation as he began walking across the bridge. There were several moments where they gasped as a board fell out from under his foot. After what felt like a lifetime, when in reality it was like 10 minutes, he made it to the other side.

“Alright! One at a time guys!” He called over to us, his voice echoing slightly.

Ezekiel goes next, muttering to himself ‘this is some dumb white people shit.’

Reina stared at the bridge worriedly and said, “I… I don’t know if I can handle going alone.”

She was wincing at every creak and groan of the bridge as Ezekiel walked.

“Listen… I’ll be right behind you. Those guys are twice our weight and made it over, we can do it too. Just move slowly, and don’t focus on anything but your feet,” Vixen tried to reassure as Ezekiel made it over.

Reina nodded her head, and slowly began to step forward. She had made it about halfway when her foot suddenly fell through a board. She screamed at the sudden drop and was clutching onto the bridge tightly, not moving.

The bridge shook some, and once it had slowed down, Vixen slowly made her way over to her.

“Don’t move Reina. I’m coming. I got you,” Vixen called out as she got closer.

Once she got up to her, she quietly stated, “Reina. I’m right here okay? I’m going to pull your foot out and then we are going to get up okay?”

Reina, after a moment, nodded. Vixen gently reached for Reina’s leg, and once she got a firm grip, slowly lifted it back up. Reina helped as much as she could, trying to move her leg and foot out of the way. Once her foot was free, they took a deep breath.

Vixen slowly stood up, and helped Reina get up, without shaking the bridge too much. Reina winced in pain, as she tried standing on her foot.

“We’ll check it out once we are over this, okay? C’mon. Lean against me and we will get out of here,” She said, wrapping one of Reina’s arms around her shoulder.

The walk was now a hobble and it took a while for them to get across the bridge but once they were, Ezekiel immediately took over for Vixen, and helped her take a seat on the ground.

Ezekiel then began to apply first aid treatment to her foot.

“You two good to stay here for a moment? There should be another path out of here. We are going to go on up ahead and see if we can find it. If you feel strong enough, catch up. If not, stay here and rest. We will be back before you know it,” Prof Jones informed them, concern lacing his features.

Vixen stared at Reina with concern before slowly following Prof Jones down the path before them.

“Not the best start to an adventure,” Prof Jones muttered.

“Could’ve been worse though?” Vixen offered with a shrug.

He gave a small chuckle as they continued on. They soon came into a large atrium and could see many paths leading from the center. They looked at each and sighed, before going to each tunnel to try and figure out where it led.

The first two were dead ends, and they marked an X in the dirt, to notate it. The third path led to a stairway that went further down. They decided that that was a path they would explore more at a later time. The last path was a long hallway that led to set of stairs that went up, but there was no door.

As they further examined it, they noticed that a section of the ceiling was made of wood. The both of them then, using whatever means necessary, began to shove at the wood. The wood wobbled several times, and it creaked and squeaked. They could hear roots snapping and dirt shifting. As the wood began to give way and opened, they could see cracks of sunlight breaking through as they were covered in dirt.

It took several more minutes, but soon they had pushed open the newly found double doors and were now staring at large statues hidden by the rainforest. They dusted themselves off as they move forward.

“This doesn’t look Incan to me professor,” Vixen stated as she moved a little closer examining the statues.

“It’s not. It’s Muisca. They were the most prominent of ancient civilizations here in Colombia. Incans did have an influence in this area, but it was not until about 13th century or so,” Prof Jones explained looking at the statues with reverence.

“Muisca? El Dorado?” She asked making the first connection that she remembered from class.

“Yes. The very same. Don’t get too excited though. I doubt we’ve stumbled upon on El Dorado. This is more likely either a center of worship, or it could be a small part of a much larger city,” He replied with a chuckle, shaking his head.

Vixen nodded in understanding and then looked around for a moment.

“How far do you think we are from where we started?” She asked looking in the direction that they came out from.

“Probably a good mile. The ravine we wound up in could be much larger than it appeared. So, we are going to have find out just how far off the path we’ve gotten. But first, let’s go get Ezekiel and Reina,” Professor Jones answered looking back down the stairs.

“No need. We are here,” Ezekiel’s voice called out as he and Reina came into the light.

Reina walked with a slight limp and had a hand on Ezekiel’s shoulder for support as they walked up the stairs.

The two of them looked at Reina with concern and were about to ask her how she was doing but she spoke before they could.

“Just an annoying scratch, no sprain yet. Vix, thanks for coming after me,” Reina explained before expressing gratitude to Vixen.

Vixen smiled at her brightly, relieved.

They took a moment to rest and relax before they made an hour-long trek back to where they began. The ravine was in fact much larger than it appeared, and they had to find a safer route around it. By the time they had reached the beginning, it was midday and painfully warm.

They began to clear as much as they could in the surrounding clearing, to safely put-up tents. Once their camp had been made, they made a game plan on what they needed to do first starting tomorrow. As they spoke, they were unaware of the eyes that watched them from afar. The guys made a plan to get the last of the gear from the jeep before the light left them.

As they left, Reina and Vixen began to setup a canopy, for them to have as a station for their gear and maps. They also got a campfire pit setup but did not light it. They eventually had settled down, sitting around the unlit campfire, telling each other more stories

Halfway through one story, Vixen heard a twig snap, and felt strange. She looked around, suspicious.

Reina stopped speaking as she noticed her behavior and slowly realized why Vixen was acting strange. The rainforest was eerily quiet. 

Vixen got up and walked over to one of the bags and pulled out a machete, motioning for Reina to get behind her. They started walking back toward the structure looking everywhere. They heard a shout, followed by rapid gunfire. They dropped down as bullets rained over them.

It went on for several minutes before it stopped, and more shouting was heard. They couldn’t make out what was said, but soon enough they heard more yelling, this time from more familiar voices.

“Reina! Vixen!” Came Prof Jones and Ezekiel’s voices.

They could hear movement, sounds of several people rushing away, as the two of them came back to the base.

The two of them were shaking hard as they slowly lifted their heads up as the coast cleared. The guys checked them over as they came up to them. Reina was fine, Vixen had been grazed by a bullet on her arm. The wound was quickly cleaned and stitched afterwards.

As Ezekiel took care of her arm, Prof Jones made some phone calls.

“So, you glad you got that first aid and CPR training Zeke?” She lightly joked as she tried to calm down.

Ezekiel laughed and shook his head, “Glad I haven’t had to use it on myself. But so far, these are not terrible injuries. Let’s hope this is the worst it gets.”

She nodded in agreement as Professor Jones walked up to them, “Alright. By tomorrow morning, we will have a local unit come in and offer additional protection. You sure the both of you are okay?”

Vixen nodded and Reina, after a moment quietly said, “Yeah.”

“Alright. Let’s uhh. Eat and rest up,” He said with a tired sigh, before walking over to the designated food bag. They ate mostly in silence, and then made their way to their tents.

As night fell, Vixen felt a bit on edge, and was having a hard time relaxing long enough to fall asleep. She had almost given up when she heard Reina softly call her name. Vixen told her to come in, and as she did, she noticed Reina had her pillow and a blanket.

“Can’t sleep either,” Reina softly said. “Safety in numbers.”

Vixen nodded, feeling a wave of relief as Reina settled in next to her. As they both laid down, Vixen took a shaky breath in and tried to slow the racing of her heart. Reina, slowly reached over, and took Vixen’s hand into hers. She gave it a small squeeze, trying to give some comfort. Vixen after a moment squeezed hers back, and that’s how they eventually fell asleep.

The next morning, they woke up to the sound of Ezekiel tripping over a pan as he tried to make breakfast. They both snorted and giggled quietly, trying not to laugh too hard. Reina soon got up and made her way back over to her tent, so the both of them could get dressed and ready for the day.

Vixen ate a little bit, before going about her assigned task for the day. Ezekiel and Reina were going to go find a watering source nearby, and Prof Jones was going to wait for military unit and lead them up to us via walkie talkies. Vixen was going to go through and light up what she could in the tunnels, leading up to the bridge. Afterward, they were going to see if there were other openings to the main center, besides the bridge.

As she began to set up lights and make torches, she quietly examined the art on the walls. She could not make much out of them, but it appeared to show some form of worship, particularly to the sun, or a sun god.

It hadn’t taken her too long to get the hallway lit, so she quietly took photos of everything she saw.

As she did that, she heard Professor Jones call out to her, asking her to come out.

She made her way back over to the camp where several men with guns, in military uniform had appeared.

She could see the professor speaking to one of the men, and as she made her way over to them, she felt her brain short-circuit. It was Veracruz.

“Ah. This is one of my students, Y/N, but most call her Vixen. Vixen this is Comandante Veracruz,” Prof Jones introduced.

She blinked rapidly as she heard his title and name that confirmed she was not hallucinating. She slowly reached her hand out to shake.

“Pleasure to meet you, Comandante,” She greeted, surprised her voice didn’t crack.

“Pleasure is all mine, _Vixen_ ,” He replied with a smirk, his eyes roving over her up and down.

She noticed his gaze stop at the bandage on her arm and took note that it darkened, something akin to fury.

“Is this why we were called up here?” He asked motioning to her arm.

“Yes. Several men took position about 20ft back, and fired upon her and Reina,” Prof Jones explained quickly. “It was sheer luck that this was the only injury sustained.”

“Not necessarily. If they didn’t make themselves known, they clearly wanted to scare you off. If they wanted them dead, they would be. It is quite possible that they may come back,” Veracruz warned as he waved to his men. “I’m going to get them in their positions, I also don’t want any of you going off without an escort. I want either me or one of my men with you at all times.”

As he said that, Ezekiel and Reina had returned, and had been successful in their trip to find water. They noted where it was on the map, before Prof Jones caught them up on what was going on. Vixen tried to focus on the conversation at hand but found her gaze drifting over to Veracruz as he ordered his men.

Seeing him in his position of power was a major turn on and she was not okay. Her mind kept drifting back to their one-night stand.

Veracruz eventually joined them with three other men. Prof Jones quickly introduced him to Ezekiel and Reina.

“I am Comandante Veracruz, this is Horacio, Rene, and Tadeo. The four of us will be guarding each of you. Horacio, you will be with the professor, Rene with Ezekiel. Tadeo with Reina. Which.. leaves me with you, Vixen,” He assigned turning to each person as he said their name.

When he turned to look at her, his eyes almost dared her to protest. She didn’t. She just nodded her head, even though internally she was screaming.

“I ask that the four of you wait here, while we get ourselves setup, and do a quick perimeter check,” He said in a tone that didn’t leave room for arguing.

By the time his men were done with that, it was late in the day, and any plans to find another safer entrance to the other side of the underground temple, was halted. The three of them were mildly annoyed by it.

“We are not exploring the rainforest in the dark, most animals go hunting at this time. It’s safer to just stay nearby,” Prof Jones explained since we were all annoyed.

Vixen did a small eyeroll, before getting up and grabbing her camera. “I’m going to finish my photos, then.”

As she made her way back inside, she briefly heard Veracruz swear in Spanish before running to catch up to her.

“And just where do you think you are going?” He asked, moving to stand in front of her.

“Inside. I have work to do. I’m not letting a… _babysitter_ get in the way of it,” She stated with narrowed eyes.

“ _Babysitter?”_ He repeated annoyance lacing his features as she moved past him.

As she made her way inside, he followed after her. She took a few more photos, and as she stopped to look at them, she failed to notice that he had crept up beside her. He took the camera out of her hand suddenly and set it on the ground away from them.

As she moved to protest and tried to reach for it, he pinned her against the wall. Her hands were trapped between their bodies as he pressed himself firmly against her.

“ _Babysitter? Really?”_ He mocked slightly, his hand reaching up to brush her hair out of her face. “ _I am here as a favor, princess. I could very easily, leave you to the wolves. Do not mock my authority.”_

She shuddered slightly as his tone got darker. She muttered, “I’m sorry. Can I have my camera back please?”

“Hmmm. I don’t know… I quite like the position we are in. Maybe I should see just how quiet you can be?” He whispered into her ear as one of his hands ran up her side.

She shivered at the thought and stared up at him. She bit her lip at the thought. He even leaned in close, acting like he was going to kiss her.

“ _Then again that wouldn’t be very professional of me,”_ He teased as he pulled away, picking her camera back up. “Finish your photos, _Princess.”_

She blinked at the sudden loss, and stared at him, her jaw dropped. She closed it after a moment, took a deep breath to calm her racing thoughts. She took her camera away from him, and finished up her photos, now painfully aware of him and his presence.

She was slightly embarrassed that she would’ve willingly let him do whatever he wanted to her a moment ago. She didn’t care that his men and her team were only 20ft away from their location.

Once she was done, they started to move back to the base. He made subtle touches to her as they did. His hand would brush against hers, or he would needlessly help her step over fallen trees and limbs, pulling her close to him.

She had one thought as she rejoined the group, ‘This is going to be a long project.’


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Um. Lake scene was inspired by the lake scene in 6 Days 7 Nights

A full week has passed since their new protectors had joined them. Vixen, Ezekiel, and Reina had spent the majority of the week creating a new path to the other side of the temple. They also set up lights and were in the process of documenting as much as they could. Vixen, who had plans to go to the nearby town to try and develop photos, wanted to bathe first.

She made her way to a nearby lake, with her eco-friendly soaps and shampoo/conditioner, and change of clothes. She had attempted to ditch Veracruz while he was barking orders, but he apparently caught on quickly.

“You don’t take your security very seriously, do you?” Veracruz asked behind her, quickly catching up to her.

Vixen rolled her eyes at that. “No. I just wanted privacy. Like most people do when they want to bathe.”

“Yes. Do you also want to be attacked again, all by yourself, against a group of men who would also probably try to take advantage of you in your vulnerable state?” He mocked.

Vixen sighed, annoyed, continuing to the lake. They arrived at the lake, and she quietly set her stuff down onto a flat boulder. She began to take off her clothes, reveling the bikini top and swim shorts she had on underneath. She took a few steps hesitantly, expecting it to be cold, but was pleasantly surprised by the warmth.

She sighed happily as she waded into the deeper waters. She dunked underneath, scrubbing her hair in the water, making sure it got wet throughout.

As she came back up, she noticed Veracruz had taken a seat on another boulder and was watching her with mild amusement.

She raised an eyebrow and began to ask him what was so amusing when she stopped suddenly. Something…. Had just crawled into her shorts.

“Veracruz… ummm… can you… can you help me? Please?” She asked horrified.

“Oh, now you want my help?” Veracruz asked teasing.

“Be serious, V. I think… a snake… is in my shorts… please, get off your ass… and help me,” She said through gritted teeth.

He coughed trying to cover up a laugh as he stripped down to his boxers and joined her in the water.

“I mean… I could… try and grab it...” She muttered worriedly.

“Hmm. Wouldn’t do that… might be poisonous,” He countered in a tone that suggested he was enjoying this far too much.

“Well. What do I do?” She asked growing annoyed.

Veracruz moved closer to her and said, “I’ll get it and kill it.”

He gently slipped his hand down her shorts, a smile tugging at his lips.

“I better not see you smiling,” She warned, her eyes narrowing at him.

“Never,” He replied, failing to conceal his smile.

She felt his hand brushing her thighs and hips, purposely missing the very obvious creature that was wrapping itself around her leg.

When he finally lifted his hand, he presented a small snake, of which he snapped its neck and threw its corpse to shore.

Vixen shuddered slightly, “Gross. Now I see why the professor hates them.”

She looked up at Veracruz who eyes had darkened. He hooked a finger into her shorts and pulled her forward. The sudden movement caused her to stumble into his chest, her hands splaying out onto his pecs.

She returned her gaze back up to his, just as his hands reached down, grabbing her ass firmly, and lifting her up. Her legs immediately wrapped around his waist, as her arms encircled his neck. His lips find hers swiftly, dragging them into a deep kiss. One of his hands slid up and under her top, taking her breast into his hand, flickering over the nipple teasingly.

The sensation made her gasp, giving him the opportunity to slip his tongue into her mouth. Their mouths battled each other for a moment before she pulled away trying to catch her breath. She bit her lip as she looked at him, motioning with her head over to the shore. He took the cue and carried her back to land.

As he laid her down on the ground, his hands made quick work of the top strings of her bikini and her shorts. He hovered over her, pressing kisses to her neck and chest, biting here and there. His tongue lavished over her nipples, before drawing them into his mouth to suck on them. When he pulled away, he allowed his teeth to drag across them.

Her moans were soft for the most part, but when he moved further down between her legs, gently blowing on her cunt, she groaned loudly.

“Now, now, princess. You have to remember to be quiet. Don’t want anyone… interrupting us and seeing do we?” He teased pressing a kiss to her thigh. “Unless… you want us to get caught? Does that excite you? The possibility of getting caught?”

Vixen shook her head no, biting her lip.

Veracruz dragged a finger up and down her slit, commenting, “I think you’re lying. Look at how wet you are?”

He showed off his finger, as it glistened.

“I was also just in a lake. What makes you think that’s from you?” She challenged, raising an eyebrow at him.

His eyes narrowed as his smirk grew. He lowered his hand back down dragged the finger up and down once more, before plunging it deep within her. His finger was soon joined by two others while his thumb brushed against her clit several times. Her hips began to wiggle and thrust to his movements, wanting more, but Veracruz was having none of that. His other hand came forward and stopped her movements, with a firm push.

His fingers moved swiftly, finding a spot that made her see stars as she came. She had to slap her hand over mouth to muffle the small scream that threaten to break out.

He pulled his hand from her, showing her them, “ _I’m pretty sure that’s not from the lake, sweetness.”_

She rolled her eyes, before sitting up, and grasping his face and kissing him. As they kissed, she slipped her hands into his boxers, running it up and down his length. She gently tugs at his boxers, wanting them off. He shoves this down haphazardly, not wanting to break the kiss.

She positioned herself into his lap, slowly lifting herself before easing down onto him. The both of them moaned softly as she took him. Once she was fully seated, she gently grinded against him, before lifting her hips up and down. Her pace started slow, but picked up speed, that was assisted by Veracruz; his hands holding her in a bruising grip.

He thrusted up several times, which just added to the intensity of it all. He suddenly stops her and pulls out. She looked at him confused for a moment. He moved her on to her hands and knees, re-entering her from behind. The new angle threw her for a loop. The thrusts felt deeper and it felt amazing to feel him drag along her folds.

One of his hands, curled around to her front, and lightly grasped her throat. She could feel his grip tighten and ease randomly, the movement adding a taste of danger. He pulled her off her hands, his grip still around her throat, while his other began to play with her clit.

Her hands reached back for him, one around his neck to bury into his hair, and the other grasped the arm that was holding her throat.

His movements quickly led to her orgasming again, his following a moment later. When his thrusts came to a stop, he held her to him for a moment, kissing up and down her neck, praising her.

 _“You did so well, my dear. Good girl,”_ He whispered into her ear.

He slowly pulled out and she fell forward a bit, trying to catch her breath. It took a few minutes, before her legs would cooperate and let her stand back up. Veracruz had already redressed by that time and was staring at her with a proud smirk.

She quietly cleaned up, and washed herself off, like she originally had planned, this time not caring to be au natural in front of him. Got dressed in her clean clothes, and they began to make their trek back to camp, to drop off her things, and grab all of the film and SD cards from the digital cameras. Once she had gathered all that she needed, her and Veracruz made their way back down to where his team had parked their jeeps.

They jumped into one of them and began making their way back to civilization. The drive to the nearby town took 2 hours. Developing all of the photos took another 2 hours, by the time she had printed off the last of the photos, and paid for them, it had begun to rain.

They raced to the safety of the jeep and sat inside it for waiting for the rain to pass. While they waited, they talked.

“So, how long will you be staying in Colombia?” He asked somewhat boredly.

“3 months. We have 3 other countries to explore, before heading back to the states. Why? You going to miss me?’ She teased with a smile.

“Hmm. No. Not at all. Just wondering how long I’ll have you to myself,” He replied with a roll of his eyes.

She didn’t quite believe him but didn’t push the subject.

“Were you born and raised in Colombia?” She asked curiously.

“Si,” He answered simply.

“Have you ever been anywhere else? Or is this there a place you’ve traveled to that you really liked or want to go see?” She questioned, resting on her side against her seat.

“Yes. I’ve traveled to several countries and while many of them were beautiful, none were Colombia,” He said in a tone that was surprisingly soft.

“I’m actual kind of sad that I only get to be here for a few months, before traveling elsewhere,” Vixen admitted with a sigh.

She turned her gaze to stare out the windows and watch the rainfall. As she did so, she missed the way Veracruz eyed her up and down curiously.

He cleared his throat, trying to shake away the thoughts that had creeped into his mind.

“It appears we may be stuck here for a while. We may as well go get a hotel and some food,” Veracruz noted, starting the jeep.

They drove down a block or so and stopped at a small motel. Veracruz jumped out to go get a room for the night. He came back with a key that had the number 8 on it, and he moved the jeep closer to said room. The two of them unloaded what few things were in the jeep, into the room for safekeeping.

The room was small and dimly lit, and there was only one bed. A bed that honestly looked like it had seen better days. There was a small table and 2 chairs, and one couch. They set their stuff near the couch and turned on the main light that was obnoxiously bright.

With the extra light, they could see that the room appeared clean, but Veracruz was not taking chances with the bed. Veracruz pulled out some spare sheets from the linen closet and threw them over the entire bed to cover it. He then unrolled a blanket they brought inside and threw it on top of that, finishing it off with a sleeping bag unrolled and acting as a pillow.

Vixen stared at him with mild amusement as she watched this entire process. He looked up at her and just muttered, “Trust me, you don’t want to be under these covers, or touching them.”

She mouthed an okay with a silent snicker.

He grabbed the keys, telling her, “I’m going to get food, don’t open this door unless it’s me, got it?”

Vixen nodded her head, locking the door behind him.

She grabbed the stack of photos she had printed and began trying to decipher what the runes, and inscriptions were describing. From her understanding, it was a center of worship for a deity. A deity that appeared to be either a sun god or one for agriculture. She noticed sun motifs and depictions of farming/fruit. She would have to have Professor Jones look it over to be sure.

She was so focused on her work, she didn’t notice the time pass by, and jumped when she heard a knock at the door.

She got up and looked through the peephole to check who was there. She spotted Veracruz standing there and opened the door for him.

“Next time ask me to identify myself. Don’t look out a peephole. That’s how you get killed,” Veracruz tells her gruffly as he moved past her with a bag of food.

“Okay...” She said slowly following him over to the dingy table, hungry.

“It’s just a couple of empanadas, most places have closed because of the rain. I radioed my men to let them know we would be in by morning,” Veracruz informed her handing her a few wrapped in aluminum.

She took them, and some napkins, and went back to her spot on the bed. She set them down to cool for a moment while she looked over some more photos. She at some point very slowly, unwrapped them with one hand, and took small bites, trying not to make a mess.

By the time she had finished one, Veracruz had devoured both of his and was quietly observing her from afar. He found it strangely attractive watching her work. Her face would crinkle as she tried to identify a symbol, before marking it down in her small notebook between bites.

By the time she finished eating, night had fallen, and the rain was coming down harder. There was no heater in the room, so the chill was intense. She found herself a stopping point in her photos, to clean up her mess. She took off her shoes, and her pants, before undoing her bra from under her shirt. She set her clothes on one of the bags, not trusting to leave it on the furniture.

Veracruz was already in just his boxers, relaxing on the bed, watching her with a smirk.

“Don’t get too excited. We are just sleeping,” She said rolling her eyes, as she slipped under the blanket.

“Why... whatever do you mean, Vixen?” He mockingly asked, his smirk growing.

He reached over and turned off the light, and they awkwardly laid there for a moment. She shivered and tried to huddle further into the blanket to fight off the slight chill. She hears Veracruz sigh and move around.

He was suddenly close to her, pulling her into his arms.

“Neither of us are going to sleep if you keep shivering,” He lightly complained.

She blinked in the darkness of the room, biting her lip to stop the smile on her face. She simply made herself comfortable and settled into his arms, feeling warmer within seconds. 

She fell asleep in minutes. Veracruz took a bit longer to fall asleep, for he was mentally berating himself for suggesting this. He was being ridiculous. He could feel himself starting to care for her. He knew that he should reassign someone to guard her, but he couldn’t do that. The thought of anyone else getting close to her made his jaw tense, and fists clench.

She was his.

With that thought, he fell asleep.

The next morning, Vixen woke up comfortably warm and vaguely aware that her pillow was moving. She opened her eyes and sees that she’s lying on Veracruz’s chest. He was still asleep. She took a moment to quietly admire him. He was painfully handsome and seeing him relaxed made it even more apparent.

She languidly sat up, taking a moment to stretch her arms and back. Her movements woke Veracruz, who quietly admired her. He ran his hand up her back, a shiver going through her at the tickling situation. She turned her head to look at him over her shoulder.

“Good morning,” She greeted with a small smile.

“Indeed… but I feel like it could be better,” He teased reaching up to pull her back down.

He rolls slightly onto his side, running his hand up and down her sides. She raised an eyebrow at him, noticing his hand move lower and lower.

“We have to get back to the others. We don’t have time for this,” She whispered.

“Hm. We have time for me to do just one thing…” He smirked, his hand slipping into her underwear.

She went to protest, but the only sound that came out was a moan as he dipped a finger into her, his thumb brushing over her clit.

She bit her lip, cleared her throat. Tried to regain some sense of composure.

“V. We… we have to be back on the… r-road. Soon,” She tried to speak, but struggled as he played her like a fiddle.

His response was simply to pepper her neck in kisses and bites and move his fingers faster. It didn’t take him long, but soon her vision went white, as her back arched up.

She took a couple of deep breaths as she came down from her high. Veracruz slowly withdrew his hand from her underwear. He got up and went to the bathroom for a few minutes.

She gets up, once her body had calmed down and grabbed her clothes, tossing them on before going into the bathroom once Veracruz stepped out. She cleaned herself up, and they moved their stuff into the jeep. They were back on the road in minutes. Vixen spotted a local vendor selling arepas and she had Veracruz stop. She ordered a dozen or so for the team as a treat.

She knew that they might be a smidge cold by the time they got back to camp but she knew they would appreciate the food. She ate hers while they drove up. Veracruz shook his head at her as she very messily ate it.

He chuckled as some of the filling dropped onto her chest.

“Shut up,” She mumbled her mouth full, as she scooped the food up and stuffed it into her mouth.

It didn’t take long for them to return to the camp. As he parked, she looked over at him.

“I uh. Never got repay you for this morning,” She mentioned looking him over.

“Don’t need to. I enjoyed watching you come undone with just my hand,” He told her looking over at her.

She smiled secretively and reached over to run her hand over the growing bulge in his pants.

She gently undid his pants, slipping her hand in to run it over his length before pulling it out. As she ran her hand over it, she repositioned herself in her seat. She slowly lowered her mouth to the tip, her tongue lightly lavishing it.

She could hear him groan as she began to take him into her mouth.

She pulled back to mockingly admonished him, “Now, now princess. Mind your volume. Wouldn’t want anyone to hear you?”

Veracruz opened his mouth to say something back but before he could, she took him back into her mouth. She took as much of him into her mouth as she could handle; her hands taking care of the rest of him. She bobbed her head up and down, at a set pace. She loved hearing the noises that were coming from him.

She continued until he came, swallowing as much as she could. Some lightly spilled out, and she wiped it from her face as she sat back up. He cleared his throat and tucked himself back in. He turned to her, reaching into the center console pulling out some wet wipes for her.

She ripped one open and used it to clean herself up. Once that was done, Veracruz pulled her into a kiss.

He bit her lip as he pulled away, muttering to her, “Don’t ever call me princess again. Or I’ll put you over my knee.”

“Promises, promises,” She teased him, getting her stuff and stepping out.

When they got back up to the camp, she pulled out the food and photos for her team. They all began to eat and check over her work and give their opinions. As they talked, Professor Jones asked to speak to Veracruz for a moment.

“Comandante. I just wanted to state I appreciate the work you and your men are doing for us,” Indiana began.

“But…” Veracruz provided sensing it.

“But I would appreciate it if you kept your eyes and hands to yourself. Vixen is one of my best students, I will not tolerate anyone using her to their advantage. She may be a grown adult, and she can make her own choices. But I will not tolerate you using her,” Indiana informed him.

“What happens between the 2 of us is none of your business, professor. As you said, she’s an adult. It’s all consensual, if that’s what you’re worried about?” Veracruz replied back, trying to control his anger.

“No. What I’m worried is in about 3 months’ time, we will be leaving here. Moving onto the next dig site, not in Colombia. Knowing her, she will be conflicted in leaving here, you. She will continue on with us, but I know she’ll think about the what ifs. Do not get her hopes up where there is none to be had,” Indiana warned him before walking away.

Veracruz glared at his back as he rejoined Vixen and the other students. He went to check on things with his men, to distract himself.

Vixen caught the professor up on what she had discovered. Once they were caught up, they began to discuss their next steps involving the site. There were still several hallways left to discover and go through. They decided they were going to split them up between the 4 of them and work through each path.

Later that day, it was just Vixen and Reina talking strategy on how to get better pictures on some of the inscriptions they found.

Reina stopped midway through a sentence and said, “I’m sorry. But. I’m slightly bored. Do you mind if we gossip for a few minutes?”

“Always,” Vixen said taking a seat in one of the camping chairs.

Reina joined her, sitting next to her.

“So… what’s the deal with you and the Comandante?” She asked trying to hide her smile.

“Whatever do you mean?” Vixen replied looking away.

“Uh huh. Lies. I’ve seen the way he looks at you. Like you’re a 5-course meal, and he’s starving,” Reina whispered to her.

Vixen choked out a laugh. When she controlled herself, she tells Reina about what happened their first night there.

“Damn girl. You move fast. Explains why, he wanted to be your personal bodyguard. Wanted to be as close to you as possible,” Reina joked with a laugh.

“What about you and Tadeo? I’ve seen you do your hair twirl thing when you talk to him?” Vixen asked, redirecting the attention.

“I don’t know. He’s very handsome, but I don’t know if he’s interested in girls? He hasn’t reacted much to my flirting… like at all,” Reina tells her, her tone sad.

“Or he could be oblivious to when a girl is flirting with him?” Vixen offered trying to be comforting.

“But also, there’s like 15 other men you can shoot your shot with. If it doesn’t work with him, I am sure there is someone else who will gladly… stare at you like “you’re a 5-course meal,” as you say,” Vixen mentioned, waving her hand to the group of men that was standing 30 ft from them.

Reina chuckled at her.

They spent a few more minutes talking about girly stuff, not noticing Professor Jones and Ezekiel were walking up to them.

“Hm. Makeup and boys. Doesn’t sound quite educational does it, Ezekiel?” Professor Jones ribbed as they joined them.

“It can be educational. So, are we going to start our work tomorrow?” Reina asked, straightening up in her chair.

“Yes. Four hallways. Four paths. Slow and steady. All of you. I don’t want any more injuries,” Professor Jones firmly stated.

They all nodded their heads. They spent the rest of the evening planning out their safety strategies and what equipment to take with them.

It was a somewhat tedious process, but it was necessary for them to complete so everyone was on the same page.

None of them knew just how valuable these procedures were going to be come morning.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Canon typical violence. A bit short, but next chapter will be longer. Beginning was inspired by The Mummy Returns. Some fluffiness toward the end.

The next day, they split up with their assigned guards, to run through each hallway. Vixen and Veracruz were going to go down the spiral staircase that led to a long hallway. As they made their way down, Veracruz carried a machete, but also, she noticed, he kept his hand near his holstered gun.

She held the torch, lighting any other torches they came across as they walked. The hallway was bare of any artwork, roots hanging low from the ceiling. The floor was uneven, so they had to meander down it slowly.

They came to a doorway that was covered in moss. Vixen stepped forward examining it closely. She quietly wiped away the moss trying to find a handle or a lock mechanism. As she studied it, Veracruz apparently was impatient as he grabbed the crowbar from her pack and jammed it into the gap between the wall and door.

“V!” She exclaimed watching him pry it open.

“Your way was taking too long,” Veracruz mumbled as he pulled the door open.

Vixen rolled her eyes at him as she walked past him into the room. It opened up to a small room, and she gasped as the light illuminated it. The walls were filled with bones and skulls everywhere. She looked around, spinning in a circle, amazed.

“It’s a catacomb,” She whispered.

“Vixen. The floor you’re standing on is moving,” Veracruz grimaced as he stared down at her feet.

Vixen looked down and saw hundreds of snakes and spiders crawling over her feet. She blanched slightly but kept moving, seeing another hallway to her right.

Veracruz followed after her, moving a bit more delicately, stepping onto gaps rather than just brushing them aside like Vixen did. He didn’t quite understand how she could so calmly walk past all of this. Veracruz wasn’t one to experience fear, but he was raised to have a healthy amount of superstitions. He caught up to Vixen a moment later.

“You okay there V?” she asked somewhat concerned but also slightly amused by his behaviors.

He simply grunted in response and waved her to move forward. She walked further down and noticed the hallway opened up to a large atrium. She stared at everything in awe. It was like time had stood still as she took in her surroundings.

The center looked to be a market area, with stands, bowls and vases strewn about. The outer areas were stone houses and the structure to the back appeared to be a sanctuary of sorts.

“Whoa,” She heard Veracruz whisper.

“I know right?” She replied to him.

“It looks like the jungle… just… swallowed this village whole. How is that possible? How has no one ever found this place before?” Veracruz wondered as he stood next to her.

“Could be a number of reasons. Diseases, a pandemic, could have run rampant through the village. From the looks of it, the village slowly sank with the years. Between rains and floods, it’s possible no one was ever able to reach this area. Or others have found it and ran into the people that attacked us. That’s what we are here to hopefully figure out,” Vixen explained as she examined the walls.

Veracruz listened to her explanation and impressed by her explanation, as they continued to light the room up, before further exploring.

“Okay. Fair warning, I talk to myself a lot. So, if you hear me mumbling, just ignore me,” Vixen warned as she pulled out her notebook and camera, holding her pen between her teeth for a moment.

“Understood. Do what you need to, _darling_. I am just here to guard,” He replied taking a seat on some rock formation.

Vixen moved around the center of the main area, taking photos before writing down what she was seeing. Once she was done with that, she began to explore the individual homes, doing her best not to disturb anything. The homes were small, so it did not take her long to explore each one.

She made her way to the sanctuary; the archway was ornate, carvings engraved into the stone. She examined the archway, trying to take some photos. She realized that she needed to take some rubbings of it to fully analyze it. She made a note of that, before moving forward.

There were some steps that led to an open area, that led to an altar at the back. She moved slowly, as she stepped onto the cobbled floor; trying to avoid suspicious looking stones. She realized the further she walked in, there were several skeletons that had arrows sticking out of them. She stared at their armor noting some were Spanish Conquistadors and Roman Legionnaires.

She slowed further down, gulping slightly as she noticed the large serpentine sculptures, with their mouths wide opened. She had walked into a trap and had to be smart about this.

The steps she noticed were becoming increasingly difficult to navigate. She was having to hop or take large steps to the solid stones.

Eventually she had gotten to the altar; she stared at it somewhat confused because there was no obvious sign of anything valuable. No glittering jewel or rare item, obviously waiting to be taken. She gently wandered around the rectangular altar, that looked a bit like a casket of sorts.

Behind it, laid a skeleton, and in its grasps was a sparkling necklace made mostly of gold and emeralds. She took a photo of it, before reaching into her pockets, to pull out a pair of gloves. Once they were on, she gingerly pulled the necklace out of its grasp.

It was heavy as it laid in her hands. From what she could see so far, it was the only thing of immense value; the only thing worth stealing.

“That doesn’t make sense though. Why risk your life for a necklace?” She said to herself out loud.

“ _It’s not necklace they wanted dearie, but the inscription on the back of it. They wanted to know the way to El Dorado,”_ Came an unfamiliar voice from the opening.

She glanced up to see three men, armed to the teeth, walking toward her.

“ _What did you do with..”_ She began to ask, fearing the worst, as she noticed he wasn’t with them.

“ _Loverboy? He’s taking a short nap. Now, hand over the necklace girlie,”_ The leader demanded.

However, unlike her, they did not pay attention to their footing. The men flanking him both stepped onto a pressure plate, causing arrows and darts to start shooting out at them. The man in the middle, tried to duck and rush forward, to avoid them. His backup fell to the ground swiftly with pained groans, before dying.

Vixen had to think fast, as the third man made his was to her, dodging the arrows. She looked at the altar before her, realizing that the top looked like it could move. She shoved at it harshly, the lid sliding off and hitting the third man. The pain from the stone smashing his foot, caused him to jerk up, followed by an arrow lodging itself in his throat.

Vixen looked away, horrified, trying to not vomit at the sight before her. It wasn’t until she heard a loud thud that she looked back.

She glanced down at the now opened altar and winced. It had been a casket. She quietly muttered an apology in several languages, as she tried to go around the casket again, and grab the top. However, it was too heavy for her to lift. She was going to need help, but she had to wait for the dispenser to empty of arrows.

A minute had passed, before they had emptied, and she was able to make her way back to Veracruz. He was lying on the ground, slowly moving as he came to.

“V? V are you okay?” She asked worriedly as she squatted down near him.

She gently helped him sit up, gasping at the wound that was on his head.

“Veracruz,” She whispered his name, as she tried to examine his head further.

“I’m okay little fox. Pissed that those assholes got the drop on me. Where are they?” He questioned as he tried to stand up.

“Hey! No. You are not going anywhere. And… they are very much dead,” She answered not looking at him.

“Lemme guess… first time seeing someone die?” He guessed taking in her trembling hands and lips, her lack of eye contact.

She simply nodded once, not trusting herself to speak. She quietly grabbed his radio and asked for backup.

Minutes later, several of his men and Professor Jones had arrived. One of his men had a first aid kit and began to work on him. It wasn’t until Professor Jones had gone to help her up, his hands grasping her forearms, that she hissed out in pain.

Professor Jones turned her arm over, revealing a large, bloodied scrape from when she had tried to push casket top.

The medic, after taking care of the Comandante quickly took care of her wound as well. The medic and a few other soldiers walked Veracruz back up top to rest.

The rest stayed there with them, as they wandered back into the sanctuary.

Vixen quietly explained what happened to the professor as they worked back to the altar. She looked down at the necklace she had dropped in her panic and picked it up. She laid it inside the casket, before her and the professor placed the top back over it.

“I know part of you might be dying to know the location of El Dorado, but there’s a reason why it was kept hidden from the world. I am proud that you resisted temptation and placed that necklace back where it belongs,” Professor Jones said to her as they walked down the long hallway to rejoin the others.

“I didn’t even think about it to be honest. I saw these skeletons of men from hundreds of years ago, dead simply because they wanted to find a city of gold? That allegedly existed? Then for those men to attack us just for a clue to its location? No. No fortune or glory is worth dying over,” Vixen replied wiping away the sweat from her face. 

“Well. You are already doing better than I was when I was your age. Younger me, would’ve taken it, figured out the location, and then bring back something to show for it. Older me, now realizes, I am too old to run away from boulders, to drink from holy grails, or dodge lunatics who try to rip out my heart,” Indiana lamented lightly.

“Rip out your heart? Haven’t heard that story before. Who the hell did you piss off?” Vixen wondered in both fascinated and horrified.

He laughed lightly, “I’ll tell all of you once we are topside and safe.”

They regrouped with everyone back at camp, recounting the story, but ignoring the bit about El Dorado. By the time she had finished, and Indiana had told his story about the heart ripper, it was late. She was exhausted but she was worried about Veracruz. The others had gone to bed, and there were only a couple guards patrolling.

She quietly made her way over to his tent, ducking under the flaps once she had unzipped it. She closed it back up, before wandering over to his bed. He was quietly laying there, a fresh butterfly band-aid on his forehead. She gently brushed her hand down the side of his cheek, the action waking him. He stared up at her, blinking.

“Hi. Sorry. I just wanted to check on you,” She whispered as she sat next to him.

“Oh? Worried about lil ol’ me? Careful, lovely, one might think you have feelings for me?” He softly teased.

She rolled her eyes at him, motioning for him to scootch over. He does so, staring at her as she dressed down a bit. She threw off her shoes and socks, before shoving her pants down, stepping out of them. She undid her bra and took it off from under her shirt before joining him on his cot.

She curled herself around him, laying her head on his chest. His arms slowly wrapped themselves around her, keeping her close.

“What if I did?” She asked lowly.

He hummed in response, confused.

“What if I did have feelings for you? What would you say?” She questioned, turning her head to look up at him.

“I’d say…. That you were a fool. My fool, but a fool nonetheless,” He answered after a moment.

“Your fool, eh?” She snickered softly. “What does that make you?”

“An idiot… for maybe, possibly having feelings for you as well,” He replied with a cough.

“An idiot and a fool. Quite the couple we make,” She murmured as she slowly fell asleep.

“Indeed,” He whispered as he reached over to turn the lantern that lit his tent off.

Veracruz was internally beating himself up. How could he have been caught off guard? How were they able to sneak up on him? He was furious when the medic brought him to his tent. He desperately wanted to punch something, but his head injury prevented him. So, he had laid there and stew with all of this pent-up rage until he fell asleep.

When he heard someone enter his room, he was ready to yell, to scream, and then he recognized the touch and all of it left him. All of his anger and the need to fight, disappeared when he opened his eyes and saw Vixen standing there.

He would never fully admit his feelings, but there was no denying it. He cared for her more than he realized. Part of him wants to shove her away, to rebuild his walls and return to his life of solitude.

Another part however…. A much larger part… wanted to whisk her away and never return. Keep her to himself, and never let her leave his sight.

He wasn’t sure what was going to happen come morning, but for now… he was going to rest, with his woman right by his side.


End file.
